Out of the Blue
by PoppyandViolet
Summary: DALTONVERSE! It all started with a distraction, a lifeguard and a lollypop.  Van Larson, Reed/Julian.
1. Chapter 1

_**Out of The Blue**_

**AN: We proudly present to you, what may be the first Van Larson fic ever. And yes, I said **_**we. **_**This is Poppy & I's first ever collaboration. This is Daltonverse. If you haven't read DALTON by CP Coulter, do it right now! Seriously, do it!**

**Summary: DALTONVERSE! It all started with a distraction, a lifeguard and a lollypop.  
Van Larson, Reed/Julian.**

Disclaimer: We do not own glee or Dalton. Although we can wish. 

'Ouch!', Reed exclaimed. He had been swinging his legs from his seat in the lifeguard tower when his leg had collided with a screw, leaving a small gash in his calf. Of course, incidents like this were familiar to the ever accident-prone boy. He sighed as he _carefully_ stepped down off the tower.

You may be wondering what _Reed Van Kamp_ was doing sitting in a lifeguard tower. He was working a summer job at the local swimming pool. Not that he needed the money. In fact, his mother strongly disapproved and insisted the job was "beneath him". However, the truth was he just needed a distraction.

A distraction. That's exactly what he needed. A distraction from the stabbing pain he felt in his chest whenever he thought about how Shane, his not-quite-boyfriend, had left him. For Micah, his former flame. Reed should've known he wasn't over Micah… after all they had never truly ended things between them. But it was too late for regrets.

With that in mind, Reed sighed and pushed back all that pain and focused on the task at hand- finding a band aid! He circled the perimeter of the extraordinarily blue pool. He hobbled on one leg and nearly catapulted into the turquoise paradise. He would really like to be swimming right now. It wasn't like he didn't have a pool at home. It was also freezing outside so almost everyone in town was avoiding the venue. But the numbing cold helped him forget about everything. He crossed a corner, hazardously dodging one of his co-workers, and entering the glass-framed first-aid building.

Julian Larson-Armstrong was chilling in the first-air center "tending" to a girl who had slipped on the tiles outside and rolled her ankle. Or at least that was what he was supposed to be doing. Truthfully, the girl was stumbling around searching for ice while he leant against the wall checking his iPhone.  
'Can you _please_ help me?' The girl snapped. Julian rolled his eyes behind dark sunglasses. He didn't even know why he was there. His agent said something about the media and directors demanding "down-to-earth" actors. So to get his agent off his case, he took a job over Winter break at a community pool. At least, he figured, it was winter and not many people would be swimming in it..  
Damn those sports people! He finally found the girl some damn ice and sent her away. Finally some peace…  
Suddenly bursting in through the glass doors was none other than Reed Van Kamp. Julian knew him from school. He was always hanging around Kurt Hummel, that boy Logan was so madly in love with. Reed reminded Julian of a cherub with his rosy cheeks and curls of strawberry blonde. He really wasn't Julian's type. But he was cute.

'I need a band-aid!' Reed gasped out, looking mildly-exhausted. That or faint at the sight of the slight amount of blood from his injury. A woman behind the counter sub-consciously handed him two, 'One of these days, Reed, we'll stop saving you and you'll start saving some of the visitors!'  
'I'm so sorry, miss.' He replied taking them gratefully. Julian snorted from his spot against the wall. Reed frowned and turned towards the actor. Reed had been a huge fan of Julian Larson, before he came to Dalton and proved himself to be a complete snob. Even if he was extremely good looking with his perfect dark hair, starry eyes, sexy smirk and oh God! Were they _Armani sunglasses_..?

'Reed! Stop it.' He inwardly admonished himself. Reed immediately averted his glance. He wondered meekly, 'What are _you _doing here?'  
'What are you doing here?' Julian countered, sifting through another person's paperwork at the desk nearest him. '_I'm_ working.' Reed raised an eyebrow.  
'And I'm..sifting?'  
'Filing.' Reed corrected.  
'Whatever', Julian smirked, 'so what is Reed Van Kamp doing working at a community swimming pool?'  
'I could ask you the same question.' Reed responded huffily.  
'Well..' Julian sighed, 'According to my agent, directors like...' He used air-quotations, '…"down-to-earth" actors.'  
Reed rolled his eyes and Julian continued, 'So I thought I'd try my luck in a commoner's working class job'. The receptionist looked offended, but neither Julian nor Reed noticed.  
'I'm just looking for a distraction' Reed admitted.  
'Hm..' Julian's smirk broadened, 'Touché.'  
'Honestly, what part of a needing a distraction would you understand?' Reed chastised uncharacteristically. Reed was generally very docile, but when people were ungrateful he couldn't comprehend it.  
'You don't understand how hard it is being me.' Julian murmured huskily. Reed sighed, exasperated. He didn't even know if Julian was being sarcastic or not. This banter probably would have gone on longer but the pair was sadly interrupted by one of their bosses who ordered them back to work. This time, Julian took over Reed's position at the lifeguard tower and Reed began running the endless errands for Mischa, the trainer of some of the girls who were having their sessions. "Reed go get my whistle"  
"Reed I need my clipboard"  
"Reed, we need extra towels"  
Reed was sent half running across the tiles (thankfully because of a lack of swimmers they remained reasonably dry) back and forth at Mischa's will.  
Julian sat casually in the tower, lazily watching the boy as he ran his errands. Julian was thankful for the tints in his shades so no one could tell he was admiring the younger boy. He was in fact quite cute… Very cute indeed…

Reed gave an inconspicuous sigh of relief when Mischa ceased her demands. He lent against the glass wall, his fingers slipping to his lips in habit. He chewed them, anticipating another order from the woman. Julian gave a slight laugh, hoping that Reed wouldn't catch this. Reed was so.. predictable. Julian crossed his legs, he was starting to get bored even. He'd taken this job so he could enjoy some isolation. Instead, he was unsurprised at the predictability of everything. Everything from the girls in their lessons, who were barely listening to Mischa's commands because they were too busy giggling and swooning over Julian, to Reed's usual nail-biting. Was it bad that he wanted something unexpected to happen? Something dangerous or exciting? Right now his life was like the pool. Shallow, clear and never changing.

All it needed was something to break the surface…

Julian Larson-Armstrong would get his wish. Mischa called some things to Reed that Julian didn't catch. But he did notice the small boy drop to his knees and reach across the pool to collect a straying safety board. When this attempt wasn't successful, the strawberry blonde rose to a crouch and tried again to fish it out. And then he lost his footing, and reached desperately for the edge with his highly-damaged nails. But in seconds, his curls had been submerged in turquoise blue.

The girls in the other pool didn't seem to notice the disturbance as Mischa was busy distracting them with non-encouraging shouts about their swimming techniques. It seemed in fact Julian was the only one who noticed. The only one who noticed that Reed was not coming up for air.

Julian immediately jumped down from the tower and dived straight into the pool, probably wrecking his designer sweater which was not meant for swimwear. As he pulled Reed to the surface of the water his heart raced with an unfamiliar emotion.

It was fear. Yes, Julian Larson, one of the greatest rising stars in Hollywood, was concerned for the life of this poor young cherub like boy. He never felt more ridiculous.

'Reed? Are you okay?' Julian gasped as he held the small boy in his arms, once he had pulled him to safety.  
'Julian?' Reed sounded confused.  
'Are you okay? Have you broken anything?' Julian asked. The other boy tried to sit up but slumped back against Julian. Not that Julian minded. His sweater was already wrecked. And the feel of the boy in his arms… it wasn't… bad. Not at all…it was almost… pleasant.  
'Fine.' Reed breathed, although he didn't exactly look fine. His rosy cheeks had paled, even. His eyes lingered closed and he inhaled heavily.  
'You're pale.' Julian observed, 'You need some sugar.'  
'I certainly do not.' Reed mumbled.  
Julian smirked, passing Reed the lollypop he'd taken from one of the jars in the first aid room. He'd wanted it, but.. Well, Reed could be dying. He couldn't exactly withhold it from him.  
Reed allowed the purple sweet to be placed in his hands. He was tingling all over, everything felt surreal. And he was hopelessly light-headed. But he wasn't sure if that was as a result of nearly drowning or because of the sensation of being saved by Julian Larson. He was ninety-per cent sure he'd actually bashed his head and was in a coma right now. 

Either way, feeling slightly ridiculous, Reed unwrapped the lollypop and placed it in his mouth taking a long taste. Reed sensed Julian's eyes on his and his cheeks flamed just a little bit. Julian noticed and fought the urge to giggle. That would be very un-badass. It was bad enough his sunglasses were probably broken, lying in the bottom of the pool. Now there was no hiding that his full attention was on the boy whom he was still holding in his arms, sucking a lollypop.

Reed asked through the lollypop, 'What?'  
'Nothing' Julian murmured, his glance slipping. Reed responded by immediately squirming out of his arms. 'Whoa, whoa.' Julian murmured, lowering him onto the ground, 'Easy. You don't want to pass out. Do I really have to remind you that you just almost drowned?' Reed remained silent at this, and Julian reluctantly set him down. It wasn't long before Julian realized the smaller boy was trembling. He went to remove his wrecked sweater, but it wouldn't serve him much in its dripping state. He didn't want to rush Reed, but he did have to find him something to dry him. He had his hand awkwardly on Reed's arm, debating in his mind whether or not he should just carry the boy.  
'Uh.' Julian muttered clearing his throat, 'Put your arm on my shoulder. We need to get you dry'. Reed obeyed, draping his arm over. He pursed his lips, all the while reminding himself that the actor was probably completely straight. Even if he was famous Reed should not get the jitters. Even if those jitters may be suffocation-induced. Julian pulled him to his feet slowly. It took Reed a moment to get his balance, the concrete looking eerily close at one point. Julian helped him along, until he could walk by himself. As Julian was closing the glass door, he heard one of the girls swimming squeal, 'I found his sunglasses!' 

Reed dropped onto the rubber bed that ran along the window sill. He'd found himself on a quite a lot of these beds. Julian pulled up a chair, as far away as possible without making things even more awkward. He didn't know why he was concerned about Reed at all. They'd had a grand total of one conversation in their whole life. It involved Reed, flustered, introducing himself as those Windsor twins leant on his head of curls looking rather _above-it-all._ Reed broke the tension murmuring , 'I feel _so_ stupid.'  
'Huh?' Julian said, looking up.  
Reed shook his head, 'It wasn't enough that I fell in the pool. You were probably laughing, and then I couldn't even get out of the water. Seriously, _You_ saved me.'  
'What's wrong with me..?' Julian asked.  
'That's exactly it.' Reed replied, 'Absolutely nothing.'  
Julian gave him a strange look, but didn't argue at all. Reed looked even more flustered by his lack of protest. Julian chuckled a little, touching his dark hair in habit but finding no shades. Reed swallowed anxiously. Realizing how oddly unfamiliar this situation was, Julian pulled his chair back behind the wooden desk and stood against the wall again, a little further away. Reed mumbled, 'You don't have to stay you know? There's no lifeguard out there..'  
Julian shrugged, 'Mischa will see if someone's drowning'  
'She didn't see me.' Reed pointed out.  
'She wasn't looking for you.' Julian uttered.  
'Oh, and you were?' Reed murmured, silencing the taller boy. _Hell_ how did he do that?  
'Well..' Julian said thickly, 'I _am_ a lifeguard.'  
'And we all thought you didn't care.' Reed smiled.  
Julian sighed, 'Isn't this a little weird for you?'  
'A little.' Reed admitted, brushing back a damp curl, 'But not because you're a Stuart.'  
'Then why?'  
'I don't know.. because you're famous..maybe.'  
'Coming from the son of Hilde Van Kamp?' he asked.  
'Yes.' Reed replied, surprising Julian again, 'Coming from just that person.'  
'You're kinda contradicting yourself here.'  
'No I'm not.' Reed paused, 'It's my mother that's known.'  
'I s'pose.' Julian muttered. 'But it's not like you aren't recognizable.'  
'Recognizable?' Reed brushed the statement away politely, 'Please. Maybe at school, or at home…But, you. You're different.'  
Julian nodded slowly, 'Well maybe I am, but it doesn't mean much.."  
"Mean much in what instance?' Reed frowned slightly.  
"Well…' Julian shrugged, "..Aren't you meant to be working?'  
Reed looked appalled, 'So much for your concern! You don't-'  
'Hey, ease up.' Julian smirked, 'I was only kidding. I'll do it for you, okay?'  
Reed colored bright red, 'Oh! I..uh, thanks..'  
'Whatever.' Julian exited, leaving an especially rosy-cheeked boy sitting extremely upwright. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Out of the Blue  
Chapter Two  
Disclaimer: We don't own CP Coulter's Dalton, Glee or Florence and the Machine. Unfortunately.**

Reed was stuck on closing duty. When Mischa had entered the first-aid room and saw Reed on the bed, swiftly burying the purple lollypop in his work uniform, she went on a full-blown rant about how Reed did nothing and how the "actor boy" was constantly distracting her pupils. Apparently, she was so infuriated, that she decided she was no longer capable of putting away equipment or closing the arena that afternoon.  
Reed had agreed to do it, of course, recovered from before. Well aside from the obvious jittery feelings elicited from his encounter with Julian. He collected pool items that had been scattered around as he pondered exactly what those feelings were. They were the sort of feelings of admiration Reed would foster when he stumbled upon his favorite designers in a look book. They weren't anything more. Just the admiration of being acknowledged by a celebrity. Reed _knew_ they weren't more. Because no matter how special Julian could make him feel, he loved Shane. At least, he thought he did. If that was what love felt like, which he imagined it did. Whatever it was, he wasn't about to give up on it. However slim the odds might be.

Julian could be…somewhat and probably only outside of school, a friend. In addition, that was fine, wasn't it? What else had he honestly been anticipating? Nothing, he knew, because even though he felt completely alone and betrayed… He didn't, and never would, love Julian Larson. It would always be Shane.

As he tidied, he began to hum softly to himself. He checked around to ensure that no one was about before allowing himself to sing aloud.

_Your songs remind me of swimming,  
Which I forgot when I started to sink  
Drank further away from the shore  
And deeper into the drink._

When he got further into the song, uninterrupted he grew more confident. His soft voice began to capture all the emotions he was currently keeping buried inside of him. If it was anything, it was an outlet. He had to tell someone somehow, even if there was no one there to listen.

_Sat on the bottom of the ocean,  
A stern and stubborn rock  
Cause your songs remind me of swimming,  
But somehow I forgot_

I was sinking, but now I'm sunk  
And I was drinking, and now I'm drunk  
Your songs remind me of swimming  
But somehow I forgot_  
_

Julian, after finishing his errands, headed back to the room to collect his bag when he was stopped by the sound of a voice singing. 

_Rotting like a wreck on the ocean floor  
Sinking like a siren that can't swim anymore  
Your songs remind me of swimming  
But I can't swim any more_

Julian had heard Reed sing before, but he'd never really _heard _him sing. His voice wasn't at all like Kurt's beautiful countertenor, or Logan's clear voice. It was so...different from anything he'd ever heard. He wasn't caring about what others were thinking, he wasn't nervous (like the other times Julian had seen him). There was so much raw emotion in this… Sadness. Love. Pain. It really _moved_ him. And he didn't know how anyone could hurt small, sweet Reed.

_Pull me out the water, cold and blue  
I open my eyes and I see that it's you  
So I dive straight back in the ocean  
Take a deep breath, suck the water in my chest  
And cross my fingers, and hope for the best  
_

Julian was puzzled. How could he be feeling this way about someone he barely knew? He had always thought that after Logan he could never really love again. Certainly not another boy. But, _this_ wasn't love! But.. if it wasn't love… then what was it?  
Reed's voice was at its best at this moment, as the song reached the most intense part. Julian could literally feel everything the boy was saying. How was it like this?

_Then all of a sudden, I heard a note  
It started in my chest and ended in my throat  
Then I realized, then I realized, then I realized  
I was swimming,  
Yes, I was swimming  
And now I'm swimming  
Yes, I am swimming_

Julian found himself edging closer, barely aware of his actions as he neared the strawberry blonde. Reed's voice was so mesmerizing. He truly wasn't holding back at all. He was just singing. It was moments like these that made Julian want to join the Warblers. But that was illogical. After all, Logan, who Julian _did_ love, was in the Warblers. Logan, who he had loved for _so_ long, had never made him want to join the team, well no more than the occasional urge or slight temptation. He barely acknowledged his orientation, let alone acted on it. Let alone acting on it with someone like Reed Van Kamp. Even Jules had to admit _that _was far-fetched. And he was an _actor_. He stood behind Reed coolly as his sweet voice continued to harmonize. The song was ending. Reed's voice was lowering, and the bittersweet last lines could elicit tears from the most heartless of people. 

_Your songs remind me of swimming  
Which I forgot when I started . . .  
to sink._

When the song ended, Reed cleared his throat as he hastily checked around himself and continued his task. He forgot to look backwards though, because Julian just smirked, unnoticed, and disappeared without the slightest of sounds. 

-  
Julian gave a short groan as he awoke in his bedroom. Even the weekends weren't fulfilling anymore. He worked most of the day then rocked up to his acting set later. The directors weren't impressed with his lack of time spent filming as of late, but they dealt as the shots were meant to occur mainly at night, anyway. His agent's plan hadn't backfired. The directors were both impressed and baffled when he'd explained his limited availability was due to voluntary work at a local swimming arena. Whatever it was, he supposed that earned him a few brownie points. Despite his ruffled appearance and semi-alert mood, the first thing that came to the young actor's mind was yesterday's occurrences. He was _obviously _remembering onlybecause his boredom had been cleared up for about an hour when he got to play hero. Oh, and offered to do someone else's work along with his own. He wasn't entirely enlightened as to why he'd offered that yet. He pulled himself off the velvety pillows, disinclined. It was looking like another "interesting" day. 

Reed was hard at work. At dawn. This was insanity. On the optimistic side, he'd barely had the chance to remember Shane all morning. He was too busy wondering why on earth they bothered to keep the pool opened during winter. Even in its busiest times, the water remained_ barely_ occupied. On top of that, the people who did enjoy the facilities did not realize how much work it was just to clean up after them. Reed didn't want to know what it was like during the summertime. So while Reed's jobs were all laborious, Julian took it upon himself to enter two hours late, lattes in hand.  
'So nice of you to show', Mischa chastised as soon as Julian was visible, 'Just because you're famous does not mean you can feel inclined to appear two hours late with no decent excuse while the rest of us work with no recognition!'. Julian concealed an eye-roll. Clearly the poor woman had an inferiority complex. Perhaps she wanted to be legendary too. Well, not everyone could be a star.  
"Chill Mischa. Take a break, Reed and I have it covered" Reed blushed at the familiar way in which Julian said his name.  
"I will not 'chill' Julian. Now get to work" Mischa snapped, "You can take over lifeguard duty. All I want is one day where Reed doesn't injure himself" Reed blushed darker and Julian thanked his stars for the new pair of sunglasses he found, which allowed him to admire the delicate and yet strangely alluring shade of which Reed's skin had turned. Julian smirked but complied and headed back out to the lifeguard tower. Reed sighed as he watched the movie star leave. He guessed he was doomed to folding towels then..

Julian sat complacently in his tower, checking his phone regularly. The girls in the swimming pool below him splashed about, giggling and squealing over-enthusiastically. It was all so they could get his attention, even for a moment. No such luck. He self-righteously pushed his new Prada sunglasses up. He did miss his Giorgi's…

Reed observed the performance of the girl's from his post in the first-aid room where he was methodically folding towels. It took his mind off things… Before meeting Shane, he had no idea of his orientation. But meeting him made things okay… like it didn't matter. But after colliding with Julian, Reed was more disorderly than ever. It was true that around Julian, Reed had been feeling more flustered than usual. And he had been blushing more. But Julian was a famous actor! And there he was again; his thoughts were a predictable, repetitive circle. It was so frustrating! Reed had no idea how he felt, or how he should feel. This job was supposed to be a distraction- not making him confront more issues! The truth was Julian didn't mean much. It was as simple as this- Reed was lonely, Julian was there… Maybe folding towels didn't quite take his mind off things after all…

Frustrated, Reed dropped the rest of the towels in a less meticulous pile, before unusually storming out of the room in search of a job that _would _take his mind off the mess that was his life.  
"Reed!" Mischa barked. It really was a wonder the woman still had her job. Reed forced himself to face her calmly. He'd actually been heading away from all of them. He was unexplainably close to tears and he hated feeling so listless. Clueless… about everything. He didn't want to face Julian. He worsened the light-headedness; he made Reed feel even more excruciatingly puzzled. And every time the curly-haired boy messed up, Julian probably got a good laugh out of it. Every time his back was turned, he guessed. It wasn't the start of some fairy-tale romance. Heck, it probably wasn't the blossoming of friendship. Reed couldn't even get attached to the actor friendlily. Because that's exactly what Julian Larson was. An actor. And Reed didn't trust him.

"Yes, Mischa?" He said pleasantly. Even in his state-of-mind, Reed remained polite.  
"What are you doing?" She called in a ridiculous tone. He was standing right by her for goodness sake!  
He blinked, "I've finished the towels."  
"Oh, and they didn't bruise you?"  
He sighed, "No. I'm fine."  
"Well, I wonder if you'll be able to handle-"  
"I'm actually not feeling well." He interjected. His voice wavered and he wasn't feigning it at all, "Would I be able to go home?"  
She checked her watched, looking extremely irritated, "You've only been here for three hours!"  
"Please." He begged, tear droplets were threatening to spill now. Why was he so emotionally fragile? He needed to get a grip, and fast.  
"Everything, okay?" Julian asked appearing beside Reed.  
"Just, fine." Reed grumbled. Julian gave him a strange look, and peered at Mischa expectantly.  
"Stay out of it Larson", Mischa responded, "Or take the boy with you."  
Reed hid his face with his hand, to avoid looking aghast. The _boy_! He and Julian were practically the same age! Julian chuckled to himself, "Sure, Mish."  
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."  
"I don't want to be a lifeguard." Reed said suddenly, "I don't want to help Julian!"  
"Oh, _come_ on." Julian said smugly, "We're friends now, aren't we?"  
Reed hesitated. Julian raised an eyebrow in the pause. Reed slowly shook his head, before bolting in the opposite direction. Julian swallowed, his emotions masked by his black shades. Mischa and her students were actually quiet for once. Of course they were.  
Julian's phone started buzzing and he muttered, "I've got to take this…"  
Mischa just nodded. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Out of The Blue  
Chapter Three  
**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Glee, Dalton or Neon Trees. *sad face*  
AN: We'd like to thank Minteh P, our anon reviewer, for always following our story. Your reviews are craaaazy nice! We really wish you had an account!**

**X Pop & Vi**

The gym. They'd never find him here. Reed felt proud of thinking of it, really. He'd have to tell Dwight when they got back to school…On second thoughts, maybe not. So, Reed was in the gym, hidden behind some big scary piece of machinery that looked as if it hadn't been disturbed in years. He felt childish, embarrassed. He had hoped to stay in the gym at least another hour, when his ship ended. Only his plan was sadly foiled.

Wasn't it funny (not really) how the person you least want to talk with is most commonly the person you have to face? And the person Reed least wanted to talk to…

"Reed?" Julian Larson's voice called through the room, "Are you here?"  
How did he find him? Reed shifted slightly to avoid Julian's gaze. Unfortunately (for Reed) this had the opposite desired effect. Julian spotted him immediately and sighed, that if it had belonged to anyone but Julian Larson, Reed may have mistaken it for relief.  
"What are you doing?" Julian crossed the room with only a few steps, "Everyone's looking for you."  
Reed was attempting to escape Julian's stare, which was proving difficult due to the absence of his ever-present sunglasses.  
"I'm.. just not feeling too good" was Reed's lame excuse, although it wasn't altogether untruthful. He had been feeling oddly dizzy…

"I can see that…" Julian was saying. Reed found himself squinting at him. The dark-haired boy gave him a strange look, but Reed could barely make out his words.  
"Did...I do something wrong?"  
"I can't hear you" Reed murmured, but his own sentences were hardly audible.  
"…you okay?" He heard faintly. Reed could hear his own breathing echoing back, but Julian's words were blurring violently. Reed frowned.  
"_Reed?_" He heard the franticness in Julian's voice, but with a screech everything was becoming unbearably loud.  
"Stop yelling at me!" Reed exclaimed suddenly, planting his hands over his ears and screwing his eyes closed. Julian looked taken aback, half wondering about the boy's sanity.  
"Reed…" He barely whispered, "I'm not yelling"  
"Yes, you are" Reed didn't open his eyelids; his head of curls resting on his knees, "Stop it"  
At this point Julian realized something wasn't right. He lightly touched Reed's forehead. He was burning up.  
"I thought I was imagining things", Reed was rambling, "It hurts, Julian"  
"What?" Julian wondered, "What hurts?"  
Reed didn't respond, he was wriggling in discomfort and had his hand pressed gingerly against his neck.  
"When did it start?" Julian asked reluctantly.  
"While I was sitting here..." He responded weakly. Julian smoothly moved Reed's hand from his neck. Underneath the surface was a severe rash. In the centre of the inflammation, was a delicate bite. Julian cursed. The fever, the rash the…

Julian whispered, "You've been bitten by something. Reed, we need to get you help. Can you stand?"  
Reed mumbled unintelligibly, allowing Julian to drag him to his feet impatiently. Reed swayed dangerously, but steadied himself.  
"Okay. Quick, I don't know what it was… it looks bad." Julian prompted. Reed attempted to obey, but before Julian could brainstorm his action plan, he collapsed. It was so sudden, that Julian even yelled a little; aghast. He gripped one of Reed's arms hastily. It stopped the boy hitting the concrete, but it didn't make the situation less unusual. He held Reed upright with a bit of a struggle. For the second time in two days, he found himself in the most awkward position of his entire career. And the worst part was… neither of them had been acting.

"What's going on?" Mischa demanded as she saw Julian carrying a pale Reed down the corridor. For once Julian actually wasn't pained to hear her voice, "What's wrong with him?"  
"He's been bitten" Julian said, his voice slightly shaky. "I don't know what by, but I think we need to get him to hospital…"

The last thing Reed saw before slipping out of consciousness were Julian's brown eyes. Reed noted that there was an odd emotion in them, that in his state of mind…he couldn't quite define. And then everything went black.

-

Julian didn't leave the waiting room. His agents were thrilled. It was looking wonderful for their star to be so concerned with a non-famous and oppressed friend. It touched the directors, although the agents were positive that Julian was doing it just for the attention. He'd never tell a single soul he wasn't. He was there for Reed. It was _his fault._ He was the reason Reed had ran away, wasn't he? Reed hadn't really clarified that… What was happening to him? Things like this had never used to bother him at all. He was a complete mess now. And he didn't know why.

The doctors told him it was a spider, a brown recluse or something like that. There was an infestation of them right near where Reed had sat. Typical Reed. If only he'd checked beforehand…  
Reed had been unlucky. Most people weren't affected as critically as Reed had been. Again, typical. The doctor said he was close to recovery, and went on for a while about what they'd done. Julian didn't care. He just needed to know that he was okay. Because if worst came to worst, and where Reed was involved in generally did, Julian would never forgive himself. He'd never forgive himself for making him runaway, somehow. He'd never forget that the last thing on his mind before Reed collapsed was… 

…was how he was leaving. How the last thing on his mind had been how on earth Reed was going to survive his job without Julian. How all Julian would be able to think about when he was gone was if the small boy was alright. How badly injured he'd gotten himself this time…

This was crazy! He couldn't even hold himself together. Like Reed had (sort of) pointed out, they weren't even friends! And yet, Julian couldn't comprehend being without him…

As Julian continued pondering these life questions he hardly noticed a woman walking into the waiting room. She was very beautiful with white blonde hair and glasses that rivalled his own. He only looked up when he heard her speak.  
"Hilde Van Kamp, I'm here to see my son" So this was Reed's mother…  
"He's asleep right now" The nurse told her gently "Please feel welcome to wait" Reed's mom huffed but sat down in the plastic chair next to Julian.  
"And who are you?" Hilde asked him raising an eyebrow  
"I'm…" Julian didn't know what to say. Reed had made it pretty clear that they weren't friends… "I work with Reed. And we go to school together." Julian said before correcting himself "Or at least, went" Hilde sniffed.  
"I knew no good could come of this stupid job. What a stupid idea" She said tapping her heel against the chair in agitation "Of course Reed would find some way to nearly get himself killed." Julian raised his eyebrows at the (not so) slight exaggeration, as he heard her mutter something about Reed being above a lower class, such as being a towel boy.  
"Excuse me" A nurse exited from Reed's room "Mr Larson, Mrs Van Kamp" The nurse nodded to both of them "Reed is now awake" At the same time both of them stood up.  
"Uh…" Julian said awkwardly "You go first" Hilde nodded and started for the door. She had her hand on the knob when she said  
"Is that Larson, as in Julian Larson?" Julian nodded. He was surprised she hadn't noticed earlier "Hmm… he did used to be a Something Damaged fan" As she slipped through the door Julian's heart pounded. Reed watched his show? Was he a Grant fan?

He sat in silence for what felt like the longest time. He ran his fingers along the chair. He even flicked through a magazine for a moment. He just needed to look _occupied_, if that was even possible. He was far from occupied. There was this unexplained adrenaline pulsing through him. Soon, he'd get to see Reed. And Reed would be okay…

But it was about forty minutes before Mrs Van Kamp left the room. Julian had been yawning when she came out, and he quickly straightened his posture and masked it.  
"You're still waiting?" She reprimanded, "Honestly? Are you trying to kidnap him or something?"  
"We're just friends..." Julian mumbled, Hilde kind of scared him, "I wanted to make sure he was okay."  
"Well, he's fallen asleep again.." _I wonder why_, he thought coldly as the woman continued, "You might as well leave."  
"Thank you, Mrs Van Kamp", Leave? _Please. _He began to pack his shoulder bag and continued to do so until the woman had left. As soon as she was out of sight though, he dropped the bag back down and turned to open the door to Reed's room. He entered, a guitar case in his hands. And to his disappointment, Reed really _was _asleep. He continued nevertheless. Things _would _be less awkward with the slight boy slumbering. He looked more like an angel than ever while he was sedated. _  
_"Reed" He began feeling beyond absurd, "I've done a lot of weird things… this probably takes the cake. Anyway… I pretty much… blame myself for everything."  
He paused, as though he was awaiting a response, but the cherub-like Reed didn't stir._  
_  
Julian continued, "I have so many feelings right now. And I feel like an angst-filled _little boy_ and I _hate_ it. I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable. You're probably very fragile right now. You were having problems with Anderson's little brother, right? That's probably why you started working at that stupid swimming arena… I heard you singing. That song was about him. I know it was. And you still love him, I bet. I know…how that feels. Loving someone the rest of the world would ridicule you for loving… It's especially hard when they love someone else…"

_Oh God what was he saying?_ He lied, "I know… because I'm an actor... so yeah. I know... figuratively, what that feels like…"  
He was embarrassing himself. Thank God Reed was unconscious.  
"Anyway, after I got you out of the pool I kinda figured we had like this mutual-respect thing going on. It was sort of nice I guess. Believe it or not, you're kind of cool Reed. You do nearly die a lot. But you are…"

"When you ran away, I got this phone call. Honestly, I was feeling a bit shattered about the bolting off thing… So, I agreed to something I think I regret. I was going to go and tell you. That's why I ran after you. I got chosen for a new movie. It's going to be big. I agreed, of course, but it also meant I had to leave. When I got the phone call, it was perfect. Then I had the opportunity to get even more famous, and also give you some space. And I'm pretty sure that's what you want. Because that's why you ran away isn't it…?" He sighed, "So I went to find you so I could explain. I'm meant to start tomorrow. But when I found you, and after you passed out… Let's just say, I've had a lot of time to think. I realized when you fell, that I can't leave. Because as stupid as this sounds, I think I'm too scared you'll hurt yourself without me."  
He laughed nervously, "It's the most unreasonable idea I've ever had really. You've survived your whole life without me. So, _why_? Why, after one week, do I get the stupid idea that _you need me_?"

He breathed rigidly, still regarding his unresponsive companion, "Now, I've decided I'm not going to leave. I don't know how I'm going to explain it… or how much this is going to affect my career, even. But I _can't _leave."

"And now I'm going to do something even more retarded, because I've spent my whole life on an acting set and in some irrational part of my brain this seemed normal" Julian muttered, "I'm kind of glad you can't hear me. This makes things a lot easier actually. I don't really want to lose the diva stereotype…By the way… I don't know if this is the right song you know… I don't think... I… I don't know. I'm just going to go for it."  
Julian sat down slowly, pulling his guitar from its case and letting the case slide to the floor. He slowly began to strum the guitar with the neat triangular pick, before he began to sing.  
_  
_

_Why can't you see I'm just no good at these things?  
I want to love you like the man I'm supposed to be.  
But you don't mean these conversations get boring  
the fake, pathetic workings lack consistency._

Neon Trees. He loved their sound, and the song had seemed completely appropriate at the time. Now he just felt foolish, but it felt good to finally channel his feelings somewhere…

_You turn and ask me  
Why don't you hold me baby, oh oh baby  
My cool is melting away and I'm making a mess  
You can't see me like this_

Helpless helpless  
What makes my lonely heart feel like this?  
Helpless, I'm helpless when it comes to you

He began to get more confident, but was careful not to wake the resting boy. He didn't want to ever live to encounter the reaction it would elicit if Reed awoke to Julian and a guitar… 

_Leave me alone. I know I'm not making sense  
But I know I can't let you come any closer  
It's my security, it's my self-defence  
I keep on doing all this over and over_

You turn and ask me,  
Just get to know me baby, oh oh baby  
I turn away and pretend that I'm doing just fine  
But you're inside my mind 

He put his entire soul into the last section of the song. 

_Helpless helpless  
What makes my wounded heart feel like this?  
Helpless, I'm helpless when it comes to you_

_When it comes to you..._

The moment the song had ended, Julian let the guitar drop to the chair.  
"Um, yeah" He concluded, "I think that's it…" He lingered by the boy's side for a moment, "Get well soon, Reed". And without another second to lose, he darted from the room.

Reed's eyes flickered opened. Well, if there was one thing he hadn't expected… that was probably it… 

Julian thrust his bag over his arm, pushed his shades onto his face and turned to leave. In the process, he nearly ran into a dark-haired boy. The boy looked dazed as he peeked up at Julian.  
"Woah.." Julian muttered, examining the boy behind shades. Another curly kid. This could only be…  
"Shane Anderson" Julian greeted sounding semi-unfriendly.  
"Hey.." Shane looked uncomfortable. He pursed his lips, "Is this...Reed's room?"  
"Don't bother. He's asleep…" Julian looked at him icily. Fortunately, the younger Anderson couldn't see his expression.  
"Oh.." Shane muttered, looking extremely muddled, as Julian strutted away.

__


	4. Chapter 4

**Out of the Blue**

**Disclaimer: As usual, we don't own glee or CP's fantastical universe, Dalton.**

A light. A flicker of color. A strand of dark hair…

"Julian?" Reed muttered

"..No" That wasn't Julian…

Reed's eyes flew open

"Shane?" He gasped. His nearly ex-boyfriend flew into view.

"Reed" Shane breathed. He looked worried.

"Are you okay?" Reed asked. Shane frowned.

"Am I okay?" He asked "You're in a hospital bed and you're worrying about me?"

"I guess so…" Reed avoided Shane's eyes

"Reed…" Shane pleaded

"Why are you even here?" Reed demanded in a very un-Reed-like tone. He couldn't help it. This boy had led him on, made him fall in love with him and completely forget to tell him that he had been in a relationship with another guy that he was still in love with – and then gotten back together with? And now he was standing over his hospital bed looking concerned and worried? He lost the right to do that a long time ago…

"Because…" Shane said sounding helpless "I think I'm in love with you" Suddenly all of Reed's anger melted away. Shane still loved him?

"What?" Reed wondered disbelievingly.

"I think I'm in love with you" Shane repeated, more confidently.

"What about Micah?" Reed demanded

"He left..." Reed finally met Shane's eyes

"Why?" Reed couldn't help but ask.

"Because, he couldn't be with me knowing my heart was somewhere else…" Shane said earnestly. Reed felt his eyes sting with tears. "Reed… I know I must be too late…" Shane eyed the door picturing Julian's face when he left "but I need to know – do you still love me?" Reed's eyes were wide and lined with tears as he confirmed, "Yes… I still love you"

Shane's eyes widened with surprise, "Reed…" But before he could say anything else Reed silenced him with his lips. Their first kiss… It lived up to its reputation. It certainly _felt_ special… but…

Shane pulled away after a moment, a goofy grin on his face. Reed's cheeks blushed a shade pinker than usual… Yes. The sensation in the pit of his stomach was unquestionably affection. But there was something else. It was probably dizziness, he decided, he still wasn't one hundred per cent from his earlier health scare. Julian had saved his life. He hadn't even thanked him… And Julian had sung to him, hoping for his safety. He was grateful to _his friend_…for that.

"You haven't said anything…" Shane observed sheepishly.  
"Oh!" Reed exclaimed, "Sorry… I guess I'm still feeling a little unwell… And I guess you also surprised me a bit."

"Right" Shane pressed his lips into a thin line, "Well, for the record…_ I_ liked it"  
Reed opened his mouth, looking embarrassed, "Um... Good to know, Shane". Why did he feel _so sick_? What was wrong with him? This was exactly what he'd wanted. Everything had worked out… perfectly. It was just strange. He'd have to re-adjust to feeling lovingly about him; instead of feeling like bursting into tears every time he heard the Anderson's name. As he'd already established, it was going to take quite a bit of amending.

"Reed…I am _so_ sorry" Shane took his small shaking hands, "I love you and I promise I will never hurt you again."

"Shane..." Reed was torn.  
"Please give me another chance" Shane pleaded, his hazel eyes searching through Reed's looking for _anything_ that might give him hope.  
"And… you and Micah?" Reed questioned again.  
"We're over" Shane reassured, "No doubt"  
"Oh, Shane…" Reed breathed, "Don't leave me". Shane's face broke into a giant grin as he proceeded to enclose Reed in a bear hug. "Uh.. Shane!" Reed gasped, being squashed. Shane laughed.  
"Sorry" he chuckled. He leant against Reed in the bed, and pulled his arm around him. He dropped a kiss on the top of his strawberry curls and whispered, "I love you". Reed blushed, his eyes shining.

"So, where does this leave us?" Reed asked shyly fingering his hospital gown. Shane beamed, as he hopped off the hospital bed and sank to his knees. Reed looked surprised.  
"Reed Van Kamp…" He grabbed Reed's hands again, "Will you be my boyfriend?"  
"Yes!" Reed squeaked  
-

"Julian!" Mischa barked. Julian groaned. He had just sent in his resignation, only to retract it several hours later… this had not pleased Mischa who had been worse than ever. "Julian!" She squawked again.  
"What?" Julian snapped. Without the Reed, the job had proven even more tiresome than before. His only comfort was that break was over in a week. But the, he would be returning to Dalton. And he'd have to face Logan… and Adam…  
"I was _about_ to suggest you end your shift early..." Mischa sneered, "…as your…friend… Reed is back now. But your attitude has persuaded me otherwise. Lifeguard duty- now!"

Julian sauntered off to the lifeguard post half grateful, half irritated. Irritated that he was put on life-guard duty again (the girls had started drowning on purpose recently), but grateful that Reed was back. That stupid jittery feeling had returned to his stomach, and if it wasn't for Reed, he'd go home claiming to be sick.  
"Julian!" Reed called. He was dressed in their regular work uniform with a stack of folded towels in his arm. How was it that Reed managed to pull off the casual shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops and looked like a supermodel? Julian pushed his Wayfarers further up his nose.  
"Hey." He attempted to sound casual. As stupid as it sounded, he was nervous to face him. It was like he almost believed Reed _had heard_ his confessions the other day…  
"Hi…" Reed gave a little smile.  
"How are you feeling?" Friends would ask that right?  
"Much better" Reed assured him.  
"That's good." Julian said and couldn't help but add, "Um, I saw Shane…at the hospital."  
"Yeah I saw him…" Reed reddened, sending alarm bells shooting through Julian's mind.  
"Did you now..?" Julian muttered, frowning.  
"Yeah…uh…"  
Julian could tell there was something he was hiding. "What happened?" Julian asked, concerned. Had he upset Reed again?  
"Well…" Reed dragged out, "Umm… he and… Micah…I…"  
Julian's frown deepened.  
"He asked me for another chance." Julian's eyebrows shot up. Reed whispered, "And I said yes…" 

Suddenly, Julian was seized by a sharp, unexpected pain in his chest. He felt like it was suffocating… the feeling was growing tighter and his heart felt sore. His head filled with clouded…anger. He tightened his fists to stop his hands shaking.  
"Oh" was all Julian could say.  
"Yeah…" Reed looked down at his shoes awkwardly, "Umm... I've got to get to work then.."  
Julian nodded and Reed shuffled off. Julian didn't see the single tear that cascaded down Reed's bright cheeks.  
-

Reed couldn't believe himself- what was wrong with him? Why the heck was he crying _again_? He didn't know what he wanted from Julian. In his imagination, when Reed told him what had happened Julian was furious, demanding why Reed would get back with a guy who hurt him so bad… And 'Oh?' That's all he could say? Was he happy for him? Angry?  
…Disappointed? _Damn it Reed_ he scolded himself why would Julian be disappointed. He could have any girl- or guy- he wanted. He was Julian-freaking-Larson. And Reed was just some accident-prone cherub looking little boy.

Who was taken. Happily taken.  
Right?  
-

"Alright boys- we're closing!" Mischa informed Reed and Julian who had been wordlessly folding for the past hour, "And you'll be pleased to know that this year due to a lack of customers…." Julian rolled his eyes- they'd just noticed?  
"…we will be closing up tomorrow. And as a special treat…" Her voice was monotonous and implied that the special treat was bound to be something like folding more towels, "…All staff and regular customers have been invited to attend out Winter Break Up Party"  
Julian and Reed exchanged unenthusiastic glances.  
"You may bring guests." Reed's expression brightened considerably and Julian's stomach churned.  
"I might pass on the party, Misch…" Julian said casually sliding across the last folded towel.  
"It's not optional!" Mischa snarled and Julian scowled.  
"I'll see you tomorrow- no exceptions!" She reprimanded, tossing them the keys to lock up. Reed shifted uncomfortably. "You seem unenthusiastic" Reed noted.  
Julian shifted slightly, "I just have…better things to be doing"  
Reed grimaced a little, "Oh right. Well, I'll do my best to make it worth your time…" A moment of silence followed. Reed added, "That sounded mean. Uh, it was meant to be a joke…"  
"Right" Julian swallowed, "Yeah, sorry"  
Reed tapped his palms against his lap, "Hm, well…" Julian remained hushed. He wanted to avoid an outburst. But talking to innocent Reed… it almost risked one occurring. He had _no idea_. No idea how he…  
How…he..

"Reed!" the voice shattered their quiet. Julian cringed.  
"Shane!' Reed exclaimed, a smile lighting up his features elatedly.  
"Shane..." Julian acknowledged, sounding irritated.  
"Reed..." Shane repeated breathlessly at the sight of the boy. It took him a moment to get out of his trance and greet Julian back, "Oh and you again…"  
"Mm…" Julian blinked, he could just feel his emotions bubbling over, "Just me."  
"This is Julian" Reed cleared his throat, "We're, uh, friends from school"  
"Okay" Shane smiled civilly, "So are you ready, R?"  
Reed paused, glancing at Julian, "Do you mind?"  
Julian shrugged, "Do whatever…"  
"Thank you, Julian" Reed whispered genuinely, but his companion didn't respond. He was too busy trying to mentally check off everything before he locked up. But he couldn't help but watch, crest-fallen, as Shane interlaced his fingers with his boyfriend's as they playfully ambled out together.  
-

Tacky. Julian had never seen anything so tacky. Their "break-up" party was exactly what you'd expect…Well, what you'd expect from pre-schoolers… They were actually serving jelly. The decorations consisted of strands of multi-colored tissue paper that had been hung in varying positions in the arena. It wasn't the best idea, and since it was a swimming pool and pools tended to be wet, the c the hues had actually dripped off the strands and onto the floor. There were rainbow puddles everywhere. Not to mention the polystyrene cups. It was like someone had flooded the space with them. But in actual fact, whenever a breeze of wind entered the window they'd all litter the floor again. No one could be bothered to scoop them up anymore. Julian sat idly in the midst of it all. Why had he come? Hell, why had he gotten there _early_? The golden couple hadn't even arrived yet. He blinked as a teenage girl tried to converse with him.

"Oh, and here's Reed…" Julian heard the woman who worked in reception say gently. She had an irritating way of speaking, like she was talking to toddlers.  
"Don't forget Shane" Reed piped up. Julian bittered as the two came into view. He pushed past the girl who was standing in front of him to lean across the wall and at least _look_ occupied. So it appeared the party was in full swing. And the worst part was knowing it wasn't getting any better.  
"It looks like a rainbow in here" Reed said optimistically. He noticed a tidy bandage on Reed's cheek. That hadn't been there yesterday. What the hell did Shane let him do? Honestly, no one took any freaking care with him. "Lucky us" Julian scoffed. He couldn't help but notice the combination of Shane and Reed's names created 'Rane'. It almost made him want to give up on rainbows. Shane flashed him a peculiar look.  
"Oh, hello. Again" Shane uttered, awkwardly fiddling with his dark curls. What was with that anyway? Why didn't he gel them down? He couldn't pull off looking naturally famous like Reed. He could only pull off a…camping commercial...or…something…  
How had Reed forgiven him so quickly?  
"Hi" Julian said stiffly in an attempt to be polite. They were becoming unbearable. Just the sight of the two boys _holding hands_ made Julian want to punch something. Preferably Shane. But Reed probably wouldn't like that very much. "I'll just go and get something to drink" Shane said uncomfortably, rushing off towards the punch table. Reed watched Shane go with loving eyes. The green eyed monster inside of him flared.  
"Are you okay, Julian?" Reed asked softly. Julian frowned. The last thing he wanted was Reed's _pity_. What he wanted was for Reed to understand how he felt… how it felt for every person you ever liked to be hopelessly in love with someone else. First Logan… and now Reed. And Julian had had enough.  
"Fine" Julian said coolly, "I'm just waiting for my girlfriend"  
Julian could have sworn that Reed's eyes filled with hurt and confusion. Or maybe that was wishful thinking.  
"Your…girlfriend?" Reed repeated quickly.  
"Yep" Julian said, "Here she is now" he wrapped an arm around a girl who was passing him, dressed in a skimpy bikini, who had been sending him flirtatious smiles all afternoon. She was caught by surprise by Julian's sudden grab for her and she let an excited squeal slip out. Her eyes were shining with joyful tears, "Julian!" She exclaimed.  
"Hey, babe" he said casually, hoping she'd play along. She leaned against his chest, a look of astonished ecstasy on her face.  
"This is my friend, Reed" He gestured to Reed, whose expression was unreadable at present.  
"Nice to meet you" Reed mumbled. Suddenly, Shane reappeared at Reed's side with two glasses of punch, one which he handed straight to the shorter boy. His eyes widened at the sight of Julian and his "girlfriend".  
"Talk to you later?" Julian offered, keeping an arm around the girl who looked like she might faint at any second. Shane just nodded.

The party passed on drearily. He told the girl he'd give her a signed photograph if she pretended to be dating him for the day. She happily accepted and was on the receiving end of many jealous glares from the other girls at the party. 

When it started to wrap up, Shane and Reed came to say goodbye. "We're heading off" Shane said to Julian, keeping an arm around Reed. Julian noticed that Shane was considerably more sociable ever since the appearance of his girl. He had probably deemed it confirmation that Julian was no longer competition.  
"Kay" Julian murmured, "I guess I'll see you at school, Reed" Julian said to the boy who nodded mutely in response. They wouldn't see each other much at school, Julian realized sadly. But that was probably for the best. At least, then, Julian could forget all about this.

"Shane…see you around"  
"Same" Shane alleged. He turned to Julian's adolescent companion, "its nice meeting you…"  
"Sasha" Julian said.  
"It's Sarah" She whispered, and Julian nudged her to silence her. Her name was the least of his worries.  
"Hey.." Shane extended his palm, "no hard feelings, right?"  
Julian raised an eyebrow and fought off the urge to scoff. No hard feelings? Right… "No hard feelings" Julian lied shaking Shane's hand, crushing his fingers just _a little too hard_. As they turned to leave, Julian clapped Shane on the back, perhaps _a little too hard_ for Shane slipped on the smooth edge. And toppled into the pool. Reed and Sarah both gasped in synchronization, and Julian didn't bother hiding his smirk as he helped Shane back out of the water.  
Julian grinned, "…No hard feelings, right?" Shane scowled.

As Reed drove, he attempted to keep his eyes and thoughts on the road. He was trying to block all thoughts of Julian. He was _so stupid_. Of course the actor was straight, of course he had a girlfriend! He was _Julian Larson_…  
…Reed had never stood a chance.

Why did Reed even care? That was the question that had been haunting him for the past couple of weeks. He _loved_ Shane. His boyfriend. His adorable, sweet, compassionate, talented, perfect boyfriend. The same boyfriend he was going to see now.

As he pulled up outside the Anderson home he was grateful to see Shane's car in the driveway, as well as, his brother and Reed's good friend, Blaine's. Another unfamiliar car was also situated in the driveway. It wasn't nice enough to belong to the brothers' parents, Reed realized with relief. After all, he heard about Mr and Mrs Anderson, he wasn't looking forward to ever meeting them. The car probably belonged to one of Blaine's friends… He hadn't ever seen Kurt's car. It was probably his. Reed hoped so, he hadn't seen his best friend all break and he felt a little guilty for not contacting him.

As he hopped out of the car and walked up the path, he realized it was not Kurt who had been visiting. The front door burst open to reveal an acquainted face that didn't belong to Kurt or any other friend of Reed's…  
It was Micah.

"Micah?" Reed asked quietly. As Micah closed the door behind him he finally noticed Reed. A cold smirk came over his face.  
"Reed" He greeted numbly, straightening his glasses.  
"What are you doing here?" Reed whispered, his mind filling with all the worst possible outcomes.  
"Just picking up some clothes that I left here" He said displaying a shirt to Reed. The strawberry blonde's breath hitched. He had left his _shirt_ here?  
"Don't worry pretty boy…" Micah began. Reed scowled at this as the taller of the two continued, "Your boyfriend isn't cheating on you" He said it with a snicker, but Reed could sense something in his voice. Hurt?  
"I left this here when we were dating…" Micah clarified. But without another word, he left and drove away. He'd left Reed clutching his stomach and feeling ill. He sat on the porch, his head between his knees. He didn't know how long he was there before the door creaked open absently.  
"Reed" Shane said quietly, sitting beside him and draping an arm around his shoulders, "Hey, what's wrong?"  
"I just saw Micah…" Reed muttered. Shane's eyed widened.  
"It's not what you think…" Shane insisted, "He was just here-"  
"Picking up a shirt" Reed finished, "Yeah, he said so"  
Shane looked confused, "Then what's wrong?"  
"He was picking up a shirt!" Reed said slowly, exasperated, "A shirt he left here…" Shane blinked and Reed asked, "What circumstance was he in that he would have to take off his shirt here?"  
"Uh."  
"Did he get caught it the rain?"  
Shane blushed.  
"Did he get into a food fight?"  
Shane began to blush harder.  
"Were you two washing the car? Were you _hosing the garden_?"  
Shane shook his head, and Reed took a deep breath.  
"Did you sleep with him..?"  
"Reed…" Shane said putting a hand on his shoulder. Reed shook it off.  
"_Did_ you?"  
"Yes, but-"  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Reed cried, "Did you think it didn't matter? _Did it mean nothing to you_?"  
"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this!" Shane shouted.  
"Like how?" Reed demanded.  
"You'd…get all upset" Shane quietened.  
"I can't believe you kept all of this from me…" Reed crossed his arms.  
"You never asked!" Shane protested.  
"As your _boyfriend_, I thought I didn't have to!"  
"Fine" Shane threw up his hands, "What do you want to know?"  
Reed considered this. "Was he your first?" He whispered.  
"Yes"  
"When did you first…"  
"Christmas Eve" Shane mumbled.  
Reed's eyes widened, "Was that the only…?"  
"No" Shane said, "Pretty regularly since…look, I don't think we should be going into this…"  
"Why not?" Reed sighed.  
"Because it's clearly upsetting you…" Reed hadn't even noticed that he'd been crying.  
"Shane…" Reed whispered, "Were you going to break up with Micah before he broke up with you?"  
Shane looked torn, and pressed his hand back firmly on Reed's slight shoulder.  
"Reed…" He pleaded, "I can't lose you…"  
"Answer the question" Reed met his eyes, with his own filling with crystalline tears.  
"No. I wasn't"  
Reed took a sharp intake of breath. That was all he needed to hear. He stood up.  
"Reed!"  
"No, Shane…" Reed shook his head, collected his Perry Ellis canvas messenger bag and straightened the Luigi Borrelli cashmere piece around his neck. "I can't…" He began, and spotted Blaine coming onto the porch. Reed breathed rigidly, the tears streaming down his face were not ceasing. Blaine looked between his impulsive sibling and his Windsor companion's reddened appearance.  
"Is everything…" Blaine paused. He'd probably overheard the entire argument. Reed felt awful. The entire ordeal probably brought up his own memories.

"I need some t-time…" Reed whimpered, unable to meet Shane's gaze any longer. Blaine gently shoved his brother inside the house. "Have you got your cell phone?" Blaine wondered.  
Reed shook his head, wiping vigorously at his red eyes.  
"Here" Blaine said pulling out his and placing it in Reed's palms, "Ring Kurt, if you want. I don't need it desperately. You can give it back to me at school."  
"Thank you Blaine" Reed forced a small smile, feeling like a small child.  
"Don't worry about it…" Blaine said to his friend, "It's the least I can do. I can't even imagine what you and the guys went through when Logan and I…"  
Reed nodded understandingly. He opened his mouth to say something about Shane, but found himself choking on tears. He kept forgetting to breathe.  
"Go home, Reed" Blaine said caringly, "And... don't make a decision about Shane out of sympathy" He couldn't help but add. Reed raised an eyebrow and simply muttered, "Thanks for the phone"

He shuffled away, his feelings anesthetized at present. They stayed that way until he reached the car, and pulled out onto the road. That was when the tears really started. They fell so rigorously that he had to pull over at some point. He felt violently ill. He swung the car door open, and sat idly on the side of the road for a long time. He didn't have the slightest idea what he was doing. But it didn't seem to matter. He just sat there, cross-legged, watching the cars speed past him in a nauseating blur.  
That was when he fumbled, sniffling, for Blaine's cell phone. He flicked through the contacts, searching for Kurt's name.  
_G…H…I…J… _He paused and blinked, astonished. What was that under J?  
_Julian Larson-Armstrong_  
Reed's tears had stopped. Julian was the last person he ever wanted to talk to, which was absurd. Julian had done absolutely nothing wrong. Unlike Shane. And it was slightly amusing to wonder what circumstance Blaine would receive Julian's number. Reed even smiled a little thinking about this. Had he been given it when he and Logan were together? Had Julian been protective of Logan too? Like he was with Reed? The strawberry blonde recalled the events in the hospital, how Julian had given up his job opportunity for him. None of that behaviour seemed to be shining through now. But… It did feel… good. 


End file.
